The Promised Return
by So Many Personnas
Summary: rated for slight language Alex returns from the Witness Protection Program, and finds things much different then she left them. Third part! Olivia...I know that i don't derserve it, but if you read and review...I'll Give you cookies!
1. Munch's Story

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. And Michael, but seeing as how she's the offspring of two people I don't own, can I really say she's mine?...hmmm...**

**AN: I came up with this idea for just this section, then decided, hey wouldn't it be cool if I did an entireseries about the three years while Alex was gone (Witness Protection Program) and a year after her return...yeah yeah...This hopefully won't be all. **

**Alex/Munch pairing, alluding to and Elliot/Olivia pairing...(more of that in the later posts...:P) **

**_The Most Beautiful Sight_ ****Munch's Story**

The child, _our_ child, was on Alex's chest. She was already sucking her thumb, a disgusting habit she picked up from my side of the gene pool, though she was less than a month old. One of Alex's arms carefully held on to our daughter protectively, and the other was thrown carelessly over her head. Their breathing was perfectly in sync, Mica's entire body rising with my wife's chest, my daughter's little back rising at the same time. Michael Cabot Munch. Alex had remembered my father, the most important person in my life before he died, when naming our daughter. I have no doubt that our daughter will live up to her masculine name, she's come from a strong couple of people.

Mica's wispy dirty blonde fluff circled her head like a little halo, while her mother's golden-blonde hair was entwined in Mica's tiny fingers. When the baby was awake, her blue eyes mirrored her mother's in size and shape, and they followed me everywhere. Alex sighed and shifted her head under my intense gaze, and Mica, feeling her mother's shift gave a little sigh of her own and grabbed another handful of her mother's fine hair.

I glanced over at the alarm clock, and saw that I had a little less than an hour before I had to get up and go to work. To cases where I would see my wife and newborn daughter, no matter how old or young or race or color hair the victims were, mutilated, then killed, or worse used, then thrown away to suffer the aftermath for the rest of their lives. No wonder I'm such a bitter ass. I laid back wanting to rest for at least a few minutes before I had to greet another day of hell walking the earth. My mind drifted off, and I was dreaming.

Alex forced me to marry her. She went away for three years. Three hell-filled years for both of us, which she came back from wanting things I wasn't prepared to give her. Marriage. A family. Kids. But I loved her. I needed her. She reminded me of that, "I've lived three years without you, John. Three years of wanting to feel you in bed beside me. Of hearing women calling their husbands, their children. I wanted that! I still want that! The thing that kept me from killing myself was knowing, or at least hoping that you would want it too!!! That this three years apart was making you realize, just as it was making me realize!!! I lived three years without you, John. Wondering about what our children would look like. What they would think like. I can't live my entire life daydreaming. I can't live my entire life in a dream. I love you, John." she hung up the phone. And I held the dial tone to my ear for at least fifteen minutes. Still hearing the angst, yet resolution in her voice. She had made her decision, now it was my turn.

I proposed the next day. She was pregnant within a month.

The wedding was a whirlwind affair. A gaiety unheard of in the unit's sordid life of picking up sex offenders. A mystification amongst my colleagues as to my sudden change of heart and an even bigger shock when I acquiesced to my fiancee's request that we have a moderately sized wedding. Cragen was shocked by Alex's request that he walk her down the aisle, her own father having been dead for more than ten years, but pleased as well. Alex was well into her fourth month of pregnancy, Michael showing her approval of the festivities through Alex's persistent morning sickness.

The honeymoon went just as quickly, a generous gift from our friends in the unit, I weekend stay at the Ritz-Carlton. A weekend that wasn't soon forgotten.

We pulled together our savings, sold our apartments, and bought a nice three bedroom house, big enough for Alex to pursue her newfound dedication; children. She took the necessary classes and into her eighth month of pregnancy opened up her in-house daycare. She knew I was uncomfortable with the situation, but the growing bulge that was our child kept me from speaking.

The call came not from Alex, as I was expecting, but from Karen, Alex's OBG-YN. Alex was having complications. Something about Michael wanting to grace us with her presence butt-first. She had my black comedy from the beginning. The entire time of her labor, (all 13 hours) Alex never let go of my hand. I believe that she did it as much for my sake as for hers, to reassure me that no matter what she was going to pull through this. And she did. And she gave me a beautiful baby girl to boot.

The alarm clock woke me up. I opened my eyes and she was staring at me, her serene blue eyes watching me sleep as I had watched her for hours every night since she had been home. Her thumb still in her mouth, hand absently twirling her mother's hair. Seeing me awaken, she took her hand away from her mouth and reached out to me, grabbing my hand that was resting on Alex's bare shoulder. There we were. Our little circle of three. For the first time since learning of Alex's "death", I cried. However this time. I was happy. A feeling I thought I would never have.

The most beautiful.

**That was Munch, next is either Casey or Olivia. Both promising to be interesting. Please review. I need the positive affirmation. Please, please, with a cherry on top!!!**

_**Brandi**_


	2. Casey's Story

**Disclaimer: ok here's the truth... The character on SVU wouldn't be nearly as stable as they are now if I owned them...it would be drama and problems everywhere and nobody would like it...except me and my demented little mind. :)**

**The Story: okay sry if it's confuses ya, but this part of the series chronologically comes before Munch's part. The marriage, the baby, that's nonexistent right now. This is about three months after Alex comes back.**

**Dedication: Those of you reading this, thank my incredibly boring Spanish 2 teacher who also believes I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread...because that's where this stuff is getting written.**

**_The Past  
_****Casey's Story**

I fidgeted nervously. The last thing I had wanted to do was to call a meeting with the famous Alexandra Cabot, but she had been back for three months now, and there was talk of her wanting her job back. I felt like a little girl again, with four big brothers and a daddy, just wanted to fit in. But the mythological hero Alex was back, bigger, and better than me. Little Casey Novak. I wasn't ready to face her. But time was running out, and it was either go to her and beg for my job, or wait for the ax to fall.

The restaurant door opened, and I caught a glimpse of the long, blonde hair of my predecessor. My breath caught, and my heart beat faster, but I had been nervous enough times for my body to know how to take over; my hands relaxed their grip on the napkin I was playing with and I calmly smiled at her as she sat down.

"Casey Novak. You were moving up in the ranks even before I died. Guess it was only a matter of time before you took over, huh?"

I nodded silently noticing for the first time exactly how pretty Alex was. I had seen pictures of her on Munch's desk, but in life as close as she was to me, and three years made a lot of difference. Her hair had grown to where it rested on the seat beside her. Her eyes were a crystal clear blue, full of intelligence. She had aged gracefully, more so than the rest of the unit, who still dealt on a daily basis with crimes of the worst sort.

"How are you?" I questioned, not sure how to approach my subject.

"It's good to be home. I haven't really had time to talk with anyone, more than a few words here and there, you know? A lot has changed around here. I mean, Elliot and Olivia? I saw it coming, but not, well, not legally, and I guess I never really thought about seeing it."

"The wedding was beautiful. Cragen gave her away. He was crying more than Liv and El were. Elliot got a divorce not too long after you-uh- left. Serena is having her first birthday next week."

We sat in silence for a moment, not knowing what to say, until Alex broke the silence abruptly, "I don't want my job back, Casey." Her gaze intensified. I was more shocked by her bluntness than by her words. I was speechless for a second, "That's why you wanted to talk to me, right? The rumors? That's all they are, rumors. I don't want to come back."

Why- Why not?" I stuttered, my body's knowledge about how to keep me calm and collected out the window.

Her eyes kept mine, "The past three years have- changed me. Made me realize that I was not as good a person as I thought I was. The victims hated me, and the only reason the unit liked me was because I was good at what I did. Because I managed to get them into and out of tight situations that would help them catch the bad guy, and help me try him. I had stopped thinking of the law as a way to help the good people, and thought of it rather as a way to hurt the bad ones."

I nodded, vaguely understanding what she was talking about, "They aren't the same?"

Alex pushed some hair from her face, "not if you focus on one more than the other." Her eyes left mine as the waiter came to take our orders. I ordered another coffee, not quite ready yet to put something solid in my stomach, Alex had come here for a reason, if she knew what I wanted, she could have just reassured me on the phone. Alex ordered a glass of lemonade as I told myself that I was just being paranoid, maybe she wanted nothing more than to chat with me about how the cases were going, how life was treating me, simple stupid stuff.

And maybe pigs could fly.

The waiter walked off, a little pissed at our lack of hunger, worried about his tip. I caught Alex's eyes again, and realized that he shouldn't be, and that I was smart for clearing a few hours for this conversation. Alex wanted to talk.

"How are you coping with it, Casey?"

"The cases?" I questioned, a little wary as to where this conversation was going, now that I was no longer in control of it. Then I thought back, when had I had control of it?

"The victims, the unit."

I was taken aback by the question, "I- I- I don't know, I just do." the drinks were brought, and Alex sat, formulating her next question. I waited patiently.

"Do you have any family here? In New York?"

I was startled by her change of pace. This was not the cool calm collected Alex whose memory I had been haunted by, " One brother, Chris lives in Manhattan. Another brother Joshua is thinking about moving from Chicago after..." I cut off, not ready to talk to her about myself. She let it pass, "a few years ago." I finished lamely.

"The rest?"

I sighed, "My father lives in Michigan, my oldest brother lives in Arizona, and my youngest brother, who's still two tears older than me, has been backpacking around Europe for the past year and a half. My mom died when I was about two, breast cancer."

Alex's eyes shadowed, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, I never knew her." I interrupted.

She nodded silently.

"You?" I asked tentatively, realizing just then how little we knew about each other.

"I'm kind of like Olivia was. Floating without a family. At least my childhood was happy. Only child, doting parents, although though they were lost in the sixties. I was more of an adult at the age of five then they were at the age of thirty. They died when I was twenty-two."

"I'm sorry." I said, and she waved it off. " You've changed since you, left."

"How could you know? You didn't know me before."

"But the unit did. And the stories that they told of you, their memories, well, they had me scared of you. They love you, Alex. Missed you like hell. And hated me for thinking I was even a quarter as good as you."

"She gave a sad smile, "because they thought I was dead. If they had any idea that I was still alive, that I would come back, the stories wouldn't have been nearly as frightening. I was a scary lawyer. But no better than you." she paused, thinking. "The past three years, tell me about them."

I did. About an hour of storytelling, Elliot and Olivia's story taking over more than three quarters of the time. Their relationship had beat all of the odds. And their daughter was beautiful. Named Serena after Olivia's mother, she had her father's deep blue eyes, and her mother's thick chestnut brown hair. Her personality was incredibly developed for a twelve month old, having her father's temper , but her mother's slow fuse.

Munch was still his old pessimistic self, Alex smiled at hearing this. Fin had drawn himself even deeper into his little cocoon, allowing the rumors that flew about him to fly unimpeded, and Cragen was still Cragen, fighting his alcoholism, and walking that thin red line to protect his detectives. He had switched partners around, in an attempt to keep the Morris Commission from tearing down his door.

By the end of my speech, Alex and I had formed a loose friendship, enough to laugh together, and order a little bit of food. Our salads had just arrived when Alex continued, "And you?"

"Everyone was kinda cold to me to began with, but they evened out. I helped Elliot with Kathy and the kids, the divorce. I think that is what helped me out with him, and Olivia. You know she really missed you. You were her only friend. Female friend anyway. She made no attempt to hide the fact that I wasn't worthy to lick the dirt off of your grave. But anyway, what about you? Your mysterious life?" I asked her changing the subject.

"Well, most of it has to stay that way. But between you and I, they set me up as a high-school law teacher. The students were awesome. They really wanted to know about what I had done. What I had seen, experienced."

"And you told them?" I asked, thinking about the content of our job.

"Most, the worst I kept to myself, but they were mature about it. Took most of it in stride. Figured out solutions to some of the cases that I hadn't even thought of. I was the 'Crisis Councilor'. Oddly enough, I miss them like crazy."

"Any crises?" I asked grinning. Her eyes narrowed and became ice again, and I realized that I had hit a sore spot.

"One. I almost blew my cover because of it. Thegirl was three months pregnant before she told anyone about it. Her father was a drunk and her mother had been dead for years. An ex-boyfriend and a group of his friends took turns with her at some kegger. She was drunk, but sober enough for them to understand that she didn't want it. They were all long gone by the time she told me. She didn't want to tell her father, was scared that either he'd beat her, or hunt them down and kill them."

She stopped and was silent for a moment. "Did she tell him?"

"No. She asked me to come to the clinic with her when she got the abortion. She committed suicide a month later. I had nightmares about her for months afterward. I should've known. Done something. Told somebody."

"Alex." I waited until her sad eyes met mine. It wasn't your fault."

"I know, but I can't help it. The guilt lurks in the back of my mind, waiting for a crappy day so that it can make me feel even worse."

I nodded, understanding completely. I had my own daemons to face. I saw her glance at her watch, and her eyes widened as she realized how late it was. "I cleared time for this, so don't worry, I'm not missing anything important."

"How much time? We've been here almost two hours."

"I have about another thrity minutes before I have to meet Cragen."

"You expected to be here a while?"

"I expected to be here twenty minutes and to spend the rest of the time at home crying because I was gonna lose my job to a dead woman." we laughed then sat for a few seconds.

" You like the job? The Unit?

I sat for a moment, choosing my words carefully, "No. I don't. I don't like the sleepless nights, or worrying about what happened to you happening to me. I don't like the paranoia of seeing everyone around me as a victim or a perp. I don't like thinking about the perps I will never be able to prosecute. I don't even like the happy endings, because for those there's ten other unhappy ones. I hate the job. I feel like I'm doing something important. I guess everyone needs that feeling, huh? I feel like every time I hear the jury say 'guilty' that I've helped at least one person. That's why I keep at it. Someone has to, why not me?"

"She nodded, "Keep thinking like that. But remember that those people you can't prosecute, eventually will get theirs. I'm not a religious person, I've seen to much hell for that, but I believe that all the bad people will get punished. No exceptions." Her eyes bored into mine.

I sighed, "Maybe your right. But we'll never know. And the people that they hurt won't know either. They want something tangible, Alex. Something they can watch. They want them to be in as much pain as them. And when the victims doesn't get that because of some damn technicality, because of some bullshit, it pisses me off!"

"It pissed me off too, Casey." She sighed, "But when you can't do anything about it, are you going to let it bother you forever? Are you gonna save up all of this anger for some poor son of a bitch who might take a chance with you?"

I laughed out loud, "That's precisely why I don't even bother anymore. I don't want for some poor son of a bitch to fall in love with me, because he's not just looking for baggage, he's looking for a whole damn storage compartment. You and Much. You guys belong together. He needs your heart, He doesn't have that much of one anymore." She smiled, then looked back up at me, wanting to continue about either my lack of love life, or my perpetual anger, but I stopped her, "I have to go. Cragen will be waiting and the traffic in this city is hell."

She nodded silently as I got up, and threw some money down on the table to pay for my part of the bill. I got about five paces away before Alex called me back, "Hey councilor! I heard your win record is already higher than mine. Don't think I'm gonna let you get away with it!"

I allowed the smile to cross my face, "I'll be glad to continue kicking your ass, Councilor."

**AN: ok...this is not my favorite chapter. That is why it took me so long to update. But here it is. I had other stuff in here, but didn't like the way it sounded, and the damned thing was already long enough...Munch's looks like a walk in the park. _Was _a walk in the park. Brandi, stop rambling. Okay. Read and Review!!! Please!!!!**


	3. Olivia's Story

**Disclaimer: Sure I own them. Along with all rights to The X-files, Will and Grace, all three CSI's (But Miami would be turned into...I dunno, Paris or something, and I'd be in it!...) and the Matrix. A girl can dream, can't she?**

**AN: I have absolutely no idea why I'm going backwards with this. But I am. This Is from Olivia's POV, and it is Alex's first day back. (Court! Yay!)**

**Language: Spanish  
_Bruja:_ Witch  
****_ví_: I saw  
****_Es una Bruja_: She's a Witch**

_**While You Were Gone**_

**Olivia's Story**

Casey said her name, and my heart jumped in anticipation. The first time I had seen my friend in years. I turned to face the back of the courtroom, and all of New York's finest turned to see the apparition of Alexandra Cabot, her head still high and blue gaze still cold, grace us with her presence. Elliot's gripped tightened on my arm, and I could sense Munch on the other side of me stiffen, and I heard his small gasp, as she looked at out SVU row and nodded almost imperceptibly. As she slowly made her way up the row, I could tell that she enjoyed for once the eyes and withheld breath of the entire courtroom This was the homecoming, however dramatic, that Alex had been waiting for.

It was broken by Ceaser Valez, "¡Bruja! Your are dead ¡V�! I saw the damn papers! they said you were dead! Es una bruja!" Alex continued her steady pace, not even flinching as she passed the defense's table. She stopped momentarily to nod at Judge Petrovansky, and the judge nodded back trying hard not to laugh at the turn of events. Ceaser Valez continued to rant, alternating between his native Spanish and English and increasing in volume. The judge had to yell over him, "I'm calling a fifteen minute recess, Mr Jenkins, please get your client under control." She had barely pounded her gavel when Alex came flying off the stand, her face triumphant for the obvious court case win. In a sixth sense sort of way, I noticed Casey and Munch standing back, the latter not quite believing his eyes, and Casey feeling left out of our little family.

Alex reached out to grab me, but I held up Serena, scared that in the wild joy of being home she would crush my daughter. Alex looked at me, her eyes questioning even as she gently took my little girl from my arms, "Hi, Baby!"

"Serena." I told her, and to confirm her suspicions grabbed Elliot's hand. Alex's eyes got even bigger, and I couldn't help but laugh, "It's a long story."

"She's beautiful." Alex looked up and something over my shoulder caught her eye. I turned around in time to see Munch storm out of the courtroom, barely missing an excited reporter chattering eagerly into his cell phone.

"Here, give her back to me. He needs you." She nodded handed Serena back to me and started out of the room, but Casey put a restraining hand on her arm, "You don't have time. Court starts again in almost five minutes. You won't be able to find him and say what he needs to hear from you in that amount of time."

I could see Alex, torn between telling Casey to fuck off, and realizing that her testimony was imperative to putting Ceaser behind bars, and keeping her in New York. She nodded, then looked at Casey, "Fine."

"You want me to find him, Alex?" Fin stepped up, and I realized that for him, Alex's sudden appearance was almost as upsetting as her death had been. Fin had lost so many people, family and friends alike to the NYPD. Alex was a loss that even he had mourned for still.

"No," Alex's eyes clouded, and I gripped Elliot's arm a little tighter, understanding her pain, "I need to talk to him myself. I need..." She trailed off into a deep sigh.

The bailiff came out of the judge's quarters and went through the ceremonial motions, and we all watched as Alex struggled through both Casey and the defense attorney's questions.

I had only seen Alex cry once, and even then she had hated it, but sometimes it's necessary. But I knew that the only thing Alex had been living on for the past three years was her pride, and her love for John. That love kept her eyes clouded during the examinations, but it was the pride that kept them from falling.

**The station: 1:32 am**

I noticed Alex in the corner, still sulking, despite the fact that Valez had been found guilty and was now awaiting either the death penalty of life in prison. I also noticed that Munch still hadn't been found. Serena was in her playpen in the crib, asleep or well on her way there, despite the noisy celebration that continued down here. I made my way towards Alex's corner, barely missing rookie's good-natured fights and drunken arguments. This was the first and probably only night of celebration since, well, I never saw a party in Captain Cragen's unit. I mean, how often does a dead SVU lawyer come back to life?

"Hi." I said, sliding into Elliot's desk across from Alex, who was sitting in front of my desk.

"Wedding pictures?" she asked, putting down the only thing on my desk that had nothing to do with work.

I picked up the picture frame myself, which held two photos, one of Elliot's arms around my waist as I stood in my dress, and one of the entire unit. "It was the first time since you died that the entire place was happy. Even Munch was in a good mood. For him." I answered as an afterthought. "He was the black cloud that rained on Elliot's and my wedding parade. But he smiled."

Alex nodded. "You wanna go somewhere where we can talk?" I asked her. She nodded silently, still looking melancholy. I caught Elliot's eye on the way out, mouthed Serena and pointed upstairs. He winked and blew me a kiss, and I felt my cheeks get hot. Even two years of marriage hadn't made me used to Elliot's fierce show of love.

Alex and I walked slowly, despite the sharp January cold, towards the bar down the street where the five of us drank happily when we won, and sat dejectedly when we hadn't. I watched memory flight across Alex's face.

"I missed this place. And you guys."

I nodded and we sat down and ordered beers.

Alex looked at me, and I remembered how in the past when we had went out for these girls nights out, Alex could level me with one of those stares of hers. Now she merely looked sad, "How has John been?"

"Obsessed." I answered truthfully, "He thought you were dead. He wanted to find your killer. Munch and Fin were the one's who actually found Valez. Fin told me that Munch had almost killed the bastard before he could get him off. Munch didn't even think about using his gun, just fought him. Those bruises on Valez? Your knight in shining armor."

She smiled, then looked back up, "He's mad at me."

"We didn't tell him that you ask to see us, Alex. We didn't tell him you were alive. Cragen, Elliot and I kept it quiet. Silent. Hell, Elliot and I never even talked about it with each other. I promise you that, Alex. He's in shock. Casey said your name and his world kinda caved in. He loves you." I grabbed her hand, which had been playing with her waist length hair, "Munch didn't expect to see you alive ever again. Could you imagine? He– he doesn't know what to do know that you are back."

"He can talk to me to begin with! Hold me. I missed his arms, Liv. His voice." her eyes filled with tears, but she still refused to let them go, "I just," The tears fell, and I moved in the booth to put her head on my shoulder.

"It's ok, Alex. He'll be back."

Their relationship was so more than any relationship Munch had ever had. Alex too, probably. They truly loved each other. Alex despite Munch's sarcasm, constant conspiracy theories, distrust in the world at large; and Munch despite Alex's fear of commitment, ice-queen exterior, and sometimes plain out bitchy ways. Now I understood what love really was. What I didn't understand, even between Elliot and I. We loved each other, yes, and we loved our little girl, but we never had to do without each other. Elliot had never had to live three years of his life believing that I was dead. And more importantly, he had never had to see my walking, breathing, living corpse walk down an aisle of a courtroom. We had it easy. Alex and Munch had been put through their respective hells. And there was nothing that I could do to change it. Despite the fact that at that moment in time, with my best friend's head on my shoulder and her tears soaking my shirt, I would have done anything in the world to do just that.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the bells on the bar door jingle, nor did I notice the long black trench coat walking towards our table. By the time I noticed him, and could recognize him, he was already sitting at our table, and Alex was already wiping her face. I got up, nodded goodbye to Munch, squeezed Alex's shoulder a last time for luck and then left. My time was over. The last thing that I saw as I left the bar was Alex's head resting on John's shoulder, and his hand rubbing her back. I smiled to myself as the freezing wind hit my face, and whipped my hair about my head. They would be ok. Like Elliot and I, things would sort themselves out. I walked to my home away from home, were the party was still going strong, and dragged my husband up to the crib.

"Liv? Why are you crying? Honey, are you ok?" Elliot worried gaze followed me as I pulled my sleeping daughter from her playpen.

"We're lucky, Elliot. I just want you to be here for me. Just, hold me. Like you never will again."

And he did.

**AN: Wow. That ending just came to me in literally 15 minutes...after I've been struggling for about what now...3 or 4 weeks for it? And I actually like most of it. YAY! Alex next...maybe. Oh I'm done telling you people the deal. You'll know when I post it...lol...ok, now you guys know what to do. The blueish-purple button is down there...screaming for you to press it...**

**Brandi**


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